KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Rescuers scrambled Monday to free hundreds of workers believed trapped in tunnels at hydropower sites buried in mud by catastrophic floods on the Nepal-China border, as the death toll mounted and increasingly desperate families searched for their missing loved ones. Combined deaths in Nepal and China exceeded 950, with more than 4,400 people missing. A private sector association representing power companies said at least 900 workers were missing at 12 hydropower projects damaged by flash floods in Nepal’s Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts. Around 500 of those workers were believed to be trapped in tunnels. At least one expert said some workers could have access to oxygen, but others warned the chances of finding survivors were diminishing. Some workers managed to call for help when the disaster struck last Wednesday, and others who managed to flee informed authorities and relatives that many of their colleagues were still in the tunnels, said Mohan Kumar Dangi, president of the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal, or IPPAN. It was unclear whether rescuers had had any contact with the trapped workers since the initial calls for help. After the disaster, fears grew that some may have suffocated, Dangi said. Giant tunnels are built to control the flow of water. Rescue efforts focused on people trapped in the giant tunnels built to control the flow of water. “These tunnels are big enough to drive trucks through,” said Jakob Steiner, a geoscientist at the University of Graz in Austria based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. “And from what we understand, they have managed to get oxygen to some of those trapped inside and are trying to rescue them now. However, it is a race for time as people need food and water.” At the hard-hit Upper Trishuli-1 Hydroelectric Project in Rasuwa district, at least 576 people were missing, Dangi said, adding that around 300 of them were believed to be trapped inside the project’s tunnel. At the Trishuli-3 Hydroelectric Project, crews were working to descend about 15 meters (50 feet) into a tunnel in an effort to reach those believed trapped inside, according to Brig. General Raja Ram Basnet, spokesman for the Nepalese army. Workers shoveling mud from a flood-ravaged power plant in Dhading, Nepal, told The Associated Press that the station is a key connection to supplying power to more than 20,000 people in the region. Chinese media highlights the government’s efforts to rebuild roads. On the Chinese side, rescue and recovery efforts included reconstruction of the road leading to the Gyirong port border crossing that regulated travel between China and Nepal. Trucks were carrying giant boulders as workers tried to repave a portion of the road, state broadcaster CCTV showed on Monday, alongside rapidly rushing waters that have become more powerful from days of rain. The road is now under 2 to 3 meters (6.6 to 9.8 feet) of water. The repaving effort took place just over a kilometer (0.62 miles) from the border, CCTV said. Although some rescue teams managed to reach the border, that represented only part of the force. Chinese state media coverage has largely focused on the official response, highlighting the deployment of firefighters, the People’s Liberation Army and instructions from top leaders. Little is known about the victims on the Chinese side. Families are desperate for information about their missing loved ones Nepal’s disaster agency said on Monday that 939 deaths had been recorded in that country, with 3,925 people missing, including 592 foreigners. As of Sunday, Chinese authorities reported 16 deaths and 546 missing. Chinese state media said 261 of those missing were foreigners, including more than 100 Nepalis. Two days after the disaster, Maraval Nagappan traveled to Nepal to search for his son, who was among the missing. She visited rescue centers and morgues and traveled up to 40 kilometers (25 miles) from where her son was believed to be, but found no sign of him. Subscribe to Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the day’s biggest headlines. His son, Sathya Narayan, was leading a group of 49 Indian travelers returning from Mount Kailash, a sacred site in southwestern Tibet. The group has been missing since floods swept through a Chinese immigration complex where they were waiting to cross into Nepal. Nagappan, owner of the Chennai-based travel company that organized the pilgrimage, said the group was expected to complete immigration formalities and leave for Nepal in about two hours. Instead of crossing, they were trapped in the flood, Nagappan said. The pilgrimage began on August 14. “I haven’t heard from my son since. I don’t know if he’s alive or dead,” she told the AP. Surveillance footage showed water rushing through the immigration complex at the border as people struggled to escape. Nagappan said some of those seen fleeing were members of his son’s group and were identified by the clothes they were wearing. Wednesday’s flash floods began after a glacier collapsed high in the Himalayan region. Scientists studying satellite images said the bedrock beneath a glacier high in the Himalayan region had collapsed, taking part of the glacier with it. The rockfall was so extreme that it was recorded as a magnitude 5.2 seismic event. Rocks and meltwater caused rivers to swell in the lower valleys, causing a torrent of water that swept away buildings, bridges, and land downstream in Tibet and Nepal. ___Wu reported from Bangkok. Associated Press journalists Aijaz Hussain and Sheikh Saaliq in New Delhi; Victoria Milko in Dhading, Nepal; and Sibi Arasu in Bengaluru, India, contributed to this report.
